Ticket to Ride

LOUIS FERREL wakes up each morning in the driver's seat, operating ahead of schedule even before he assumes his official duties as manager of printing services for Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro). What gives him such a head start?

"When I get up, I want to go to work," Ferrel reveals.

He didn't expect to establish a career as an in-plant manager. A lifelong Houston resident, Ferrel headed to the University of Houston in the early 1970s with the intention of becoming an attorney. In 1974, while moonlighting as a meat cutter at a local grocer, one of his regular customers offered Ferrel a job in a print shop at an oil and gas company. Ferrel was ready to make a move.

"The grocery store would be cited for inspection violations, and they made the employees chip in to pay the fines," he recalls, with distaste.

He started at the print shop as a helper in 1975, and was promoted to pressman, eventually becoming a full-time employee. He then moved to the in-plant at Hughes Tool Co. and spent nearly 10 years there, working his way up to supervisor of operations.

Next, Ferrel went to Union Texas Petroleum and served for another decade as manager of the print shop. Why stay in printing? "I enjoyed creating something different and dealing with new challenges every day," he explains. "Even if you start the day with a plan, which you usually do, you need to be able to react and make changes and still do what needs to be done."

The downside of working in oil industry in-plants in those days, Ferrel adds, was that the whole industry was in a depression. "I had to get rid of people and keep operations going with practically no staff," he remembers. "I guess that the good thing about that is that I can do everything in the shop."

Ferrel tried a brief stint in sales for a commercial printer, and liked the job, but ultimately preferred the in-plant atmosphere. So he moved to Amerada Hess (now Hess Corp.) to manage its print shop, forms department and mailroom. Ferrel began digitizing the operation, such as by using a token-ring LAN system to streamline communications and production within the shop. Digital technologies became his professional passion and specialty.

Ferrel credits the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) as his primary resource for digital technologies education and training. An IPMA Certified Graphic Communications Manager (CGCM), Ferrel has been a member of the organization since the mid-80s and is a former regional vice president.

The Move to Metro

In 2001, Ferrel joined Metro. Initially, he wanted to get out of the management side of the business. "I was tired of working 12 to 14 hours a day," he declared. So, he became the lead digital specialist for the operation.

As the industry went digital, Ferrel was able to transform information about technologies into implementation at Metro. "And that allowed us be a quicker, cleaner operation that made fewer mistakes," he asserts.

Within eight months of his arrival, Ferrel replaced Metro's analog duplicators with "real DocuTechs." He then digitized forms so that staff could pull them electronically and print on demand, saving $80,000 a year. Then, he brought bus schedule production in-house.

"The first year, we achieved ROI for a new folder purchase, and after that, we began saving $300,000 to $400,000 annually," he calculates. "And, instead of ordering a 30,000 run, we're printing 5,000 at a time, so we don't have to throw anything away."

He also digitized the copier program (84 copiers) five years ago and is now putting together a proposal for next-generation copier technology.

In February 2011, Ferrel agreed to serve as printing services manager and has since reduced the operation's budget by half a million dollars. He recently also took on responsibility for Metro's mailroom.

Ferrel continues to enjoy both his professional and personal pursuits, and occasionally has the opportunity to combine them.

"Photography is my hobby, and recently, when Metro was doing a shoot to show a train wrap, I worked with the marketing department and advised them how to achieve exposure consistency," he relates. "The photos turned out perfectly."

Ferrel and Margaret, his wife of 32 years, have two children. To help them attain their own successes, Ferrel preaches what he practices: "I always told my kids, 'I don't care what you do, I just want you to find a job that you like getting up for and going to every day.' "